Torchwood: Hidden by Steven Savile

Torchwood: Hidden Reviews

• 
  Lizabeth Tucker

  Read by the lovely and talented Naoko Mori (aka Toshiko Sato), this is a marvelous adventure story, set during Series One, that rates as 90% satisfying in my mind.
  
  A series of mysterious deaths have Captain Jack Harkness tearing out of the Hub without letting the others know where he is going to, then can't be found anywhere by the rest of his worried team as more deaths appear. As Gwen, Ianto, Owen, and Tosh try to find their missing Captain while working on why the deaths had Jack concerned, they find themselves delving into the far past and a long-dead alchemist.
  
  Jack is actually being held by Cardiff police on suspicion of murder, but finally gets a few moments to call Tosh and drop a clue or two in her ear. Meanwhile, Ianto discovers more murder victims and is himself almost killed during a horrendous car chase that ends with him badly injured. Snooping about, Gwen and Owen gather more clues and pieces of the puzzle, but it actually comes down to the technical and scientific knowledge of Tosh before they discover what actually happened and how to save Jack from prison.
  
  Okay, that's the basic storyline and I truly enjoyed listening to this double set of CDs, so why are we missing 10% of satisfaction? The whole Ianto chase and injury scene was brilliant, but Jack doesn't find out until he's released from custody. So what that means is, no real Ianto/Jack moment, other than a visit at the very end by the team to Ianto in the hospital and a soft kiss on the forehead. Bummer.
  
  I understand that this is set Series One, before we had a really serious relationship going on the series, but I still would've liked to have had Jack somehow notified in the police station and going ballistic because he couldn't find out just how badly Ianto was hurt, much less get to his side. On the plus side, we get lots of Tosh and little true Gwen moments, bless you, Steven Savile! A little of Gwen truly goes a long way.
• 
  KenazNYC

  Believe it or not, this is the first audiobook I've ever gotten. My parents used to force me to listen to their mysteries on tape when we took family road trips, so I had always thought of audiobooks as hopelessly geriatric. But being able to zone out to Naoko Mori's voice on the way to work was a treat. I thought the characterizations here ran very true to canon. These books are not literature any more than Torchwood itself is a cinematic masterpiece. There are some cliche elements and some really hamfisted, scenery-chewing moments, but to be honest, I enjoy the melodrama of the show, so this was a nice way to spend a couple of hours. There wasn't enough Jack/Ianto action for my inner fangirl, but hey-- that's what fanfic is for.
• 
  Cathal Reynolds

  3.74 stars
  So far, Naoko Mori is definitely my favourite reader of the Torchwood cast so far. She only lightly changes her voice for each character, which suits me because Eve Myles' American accent was truly distracting.
  As for the story, it was pretty fun and and classic Torchwood stuff, but there was way too little Jack for my liking. Also wayyyy to little Jack/Ianto interaction. The characterisation, for the most part, was pretty spot on, particularly with Owen. It was easy to tell who was speaking even without the assistance of Naoko's reading.
• 
  Yvonne Alf

  At first I was a bit sceptical because of the length, but Naoko Mori does such an excellent job presenting the story, that I was hooked right from the start. The story runs around 2 1/2 hours and you have to pay close attention to follow the storyline - so make sure you got the time needed. For quite a while you wonder why this case is Torchwood related at all, but it all becomes clear throughout the story. The characters are well drawn and Naoko does a great job giving each of them a voice so it's easy to followe who's speaking. And boy I did not expect a car chase would be such a thrill in audio format. Definitely the highlight of the episode. Jack is a bit on the backburner in this story, but all of the others have their moments to shine.
• 
  Trinity

  Main points:
  - Dives into the main plot very quickly.
  - The type of audiobook you have to sit down and focus your attention on to keep up with.
  - Overall focus on science, specifically alchemy (rather than alien activity).
  - Subtle characterisations of each member (particularly Owen and Jack) are very effective.
  - The individual sub-plots are gripping on their own.
  - Neat ending (if you find the middle slow, it clears up towards the end), especially for Janto fans :)
  
• 
  Travis

  Great Torchwood EU Book.
  
  Really liked Naoko Mori changing her voice when speaking as a different character, something more people reading fiction need to do.
  
  The story is pretty great where Jack is blamed for the deaths of 3 people and him and the Torchwood Team need to save jack from being prosecuted.
• 
  Rhys Causon

  While the narration from Naoko Mori was enjoyable the story itself felt a little too all over the place to follow. Granted I have listened to it over the course of four days when you could probably get through it in an afternoon which is always better to follow a plot as short as this.
  
  So if I had listened to it quicker it may have been a higher rating.
• 
  Gabriel Mero

  Wow, I was not expecting this to be so long and in depth. Naoko Mori did a fantastic job as narrator (she even used the proper American accent for Jack.) I look forward to the subsequent books in the series.
• 
  Derelict Space Sheep

  42 WORD REVIEW:
  
  Untethered action scenes adrift on an oil-slick mix of lifeless plot and overly detailed backstory. Published just prior to Series Two, ‘Hidden’ harks back to Series One where the leads were gung-ho and hapless, flapping about with the perspicacity of misdirected salmon.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Probably the best use of alchemy in the Whoniverse.
• 
  Anne

  This story made me miss the show so badly. Mostly because it was a lot like an episode of Torchwood. The overall plot was interesting and I enjoyed getting to spend time with the team again.
• 
  Tasha Mahoney

  A good addition to the Torchwood series.
• 
  Aighmi*

  Everything about Torchwood is addicting!!
• 
  osoi

  Как бы я ни любила старую команду, Тош всегда выпадала. Она немного ожила в конце второго сезона, когда, собственно, настало ее время покинуть Торчвуд – да, знаю, это ужасно несправедливо. Компьютерный гений, серая мышка, безнадежно влюбленная в коллегу, с тихим и дико невыразительным голосом – вот такой я помню Тош.
  Претензии конкретно Наоко Мори. Дорогая, я понимаю, что у тебя донельзя скучный персонаж, но раскрась его красками хоть чуть-чуть в аудиокниге? Все твои коллеги уже попробовали себя в роли чтецов, и у них это получилось с переменным успехом, так почему бы не сделать исключение и перестать затенять интонации, а наоборот, выделить каждого персонажа? Блин, да я половину этой книги удачно проспала, настолько мне было скучно от монотонности и невыразительности.
  
  Сюжет дебильный. Хотя бы потому что в нем нет ни одного пришельца. Торчвуд выступает в роли Роберта Лэнгдона (см. Дэн Браун), не, я серьезно, ни разу не шучу. Какие-то крипты, исследователи, выдающиеся умы своего времени, алхимики, тайные ордены и раннее клонирование в истории человечества. Много кровяки и мало смысла. Йанто падает с обрыва, Джек отсиживается в гостях у ФБР, все остальные тупят, пытаясь связать между собой людей и события. Ни одного пришельца, сплошные интриги в кругах микробиологов, алхимиков и археологов. У меня после этой книги психологическая травма.
  
  Я хоть и проспала половину книги, но оставшиеся в памяти моменты удручают. Например, была такая ситуация, когда ребята пришли в гости к женщине-ученой, которой через пару минут после знакомства успели снесли пол-башки взрывом. Я от негодования чуть из кровати не выпрыгнула – только я успела проникнуться симпатией к этой милой женщине (а описательность не хромает), как ее задвинули. Причем я спецом переслушала этот момент – ни один из героев даже не вспомнил о ней, они побежали стрелять в плохишей, забыв о том, что на полу кто-то валяется. Спасибо хоть не споткнулись об нее.
  
  Короче, аудиокнижка средненькая, вместо Торчвуда легко можно было подставить героев любой другой франшизы, смысл бы не изменился. А это показательно, я считаю.
  
  
  annikeh.net
• 
  Nicholas Whyte

  "
  http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1277018.html[return][return]The first of the non-printed series of Torchwood audio books, by Stephen Savile and read by Naoko 'Tosh' Mori, set before the end of Series 1, so with a full five-member team. I am getting into these, I must say, having enjoyed The Sin Eaters earlier in the month: Naoko Mori has a quiet voice, but is intense when she needs to be, and also is good at doing the others' accents without sounding like she is taking the piss. The story is a decent variation from the Torchwood standard, with seventeenth-century alchemy and modern genetic research combining to make a respectably sfnal plot, with also plenty of good character moments (Jack and Gwen, ironically enough, getting fewest of these). Anyway, brightened up a few days' commute."
• 
  Mikael Kuoppala

  Steven Savile's Torchwood thriller isn't particularly thrilling, even if it manages to offer some interesting concepts and solid prose. This is one of those Torchwood books that don't have any obvious faults and offer some nice content, but that still seem a bit unremarkable. There is a certain heaviness in Savile's prose that cripples the narrative further, even if his characterization feels right.
  
  It's nice to see the team work together without Jack though, particularly as the tale can tap into the uneasy character dynamics of the first season.
• 
  Mayda

  
  This BBC audio book, a sci-fi thriller, takes place during the first series of Torchwood. Captain Jack Harkness is being interrogated by police for most of this tale, while the Torchwood team strives to solve seemingly unrelated murders and free Jack. Well performed by Naoko Mori, it is sure to delight fans of the series.
  
• 
  Jenette

  This one was very predictable though that didn't make it any less enjoyable. I do think I came across as a weirdo because I was shouting the word "cloning" a little too emphatically because everyone else was taking a bit too long to catch on but it was still a nice look back at the Torchwood I used to love before they tried to make it with the Americans.
• 
  Jeremy

  Good characterizations. Wonderfully read by Naoko Mori, and her attempt at Jack's American accent made me grin, but there was not much really alien in this one, and Ianto was out of commission for the last half, so I was kind of... enh.
• 
  Jeneé

  I liked this one a lot more than Everyone Says Hello. And Naoko's attempt at an American accent is adorable lol. I think the only problem with the Torchwood books is that they have a hard time nailing down Jacks character. Nice easy read/listen.
• 
  Sarah

  The other Torchwood audio book I listened was a dramatisation, so I was slightly disappointed to find that this one wasn't. It was still entertaining though, even if I didn't have a clue what was going on most of the time :D
• 
  katie

  Not my favourite Torchwood story/book/whatever, but I really liked the character bits.
• 
  Paola

  What was this one even about again? Oh well. It deserves another listen through- at least for Naoko Mori's "American English" accent for Jack.
• 
  Jennifer

  This was great! another Torchwood masterpiece. Although at the end I expected more. But it was good none the less.
• 
  Idamus

  re-listen
• 
  Eri

  The only thing I don't get is how could police lock up Jack without him escaping in five minutes or fucking his way out.
• 
  Magdalena

  Some phrases were overused in the narration and I must say it bugged me a little.